Cowboy to the Core

by Joanna Wayne

“Yes, but when I was shopping earlier today, I noticed a man in a blue knit shirt staring at me. Well, I didn’t exactly see him, but I saw his reflection in the mirror. When I turned to see if I knew him, he ducked out of sight. It might not have even been the same man, but I found the possibility a bit disturbing. Hence my call to you.”

  “Do you have any idea who the dark knight refers to?”

  “Not even a clue. The only people I know here besides you and the girls are Bethany Sue and Arnie, and I only just met him.” For that matter she’d just met Marcus, as well.

  “There are no shortage of knight wannabes milling around us tonight,” Marcus noted.

  “It was probably from someone just getting into the spirit of the festival,” she said.

  “Or hitting on you, though sending a note like this is an odd way to score points.”

  “I’m thinking it could have been a case of mistaken identity. There is someone else at the festival today who looks a lot like me. The two of us practically collided when I was leaving the jousting arena.”

  “Is this the first threat or warning of this nature you’ve received?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And the first time you’ve noticed that man was this morning?”

  “Yes. And that was before I fainted, so that can’t be why he was staring at me—if he was actually staring at me.”

  “I know you said you’re not seriously involved with anyone, but what about your nonserious love life?”

  “That’s pretty much a draw between Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and George Clooney. As yet, they haven’t participated.”

  “No stalkers?”

  “Not since college.”

  “What about someone you may have dumped who didn’t take it well?”

  “I haven’t been in any serious relationships since my ex.”

  “And he’s totally out of your life now?”

  “Except for a few guest appearances as Celeste’s father, and he avoids those unless it suits him.”

  “Then you don’t know of anyone who’d have reason to harm you?”

  “No.” Which made her hiring him sound all the more ridiculous. “I probably overreacted,” she admitted. “I should never have called you.”

  He nudged his Stetson a little lower on his forehead and leveled his gaze at her. “What really happened this morning in that costume shop, Dani?”

  A cold knot settled just below her breastbone. This was the exact path she didn’t want the conversation to take.

  “I’ve been under a lot of stress at work.” Not a total lie. “I guess it took its toll.”

  He looked skeptical. “I’m here on your dollar, Dani, so you can stick with any story you want. But you clearly had more going on than mental fatigue when the salesperson held that green dress in front of you.”

  She looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m talking about your need to level with me. You’re running scared. I think there’s more to that than someone handing you a note.”

  She sucked in a huge gulp of the bracing fall air. It was as if the man could see right through her. Obviously, he couldn’t or he’d be running in the opposite direction.

  A small band began to play in the background. People were starting to take their seats in anticipation of the pre-dinner entertainment.

  “You can trust me, Dani.”

  Marcus’s words wrapped around her. She met his gaze again and sank into the depths of his eyes. It was tempting to take him at his word. So very tempting.

  “You’ll think I’m nuts.”

  “Try me.”

  He stepped closer, reached over and took her hand in his. The warmth of his touch added a new layer of vulnerability to her senses.

  She had to be very, very careful what she said at this point. “I had a nightmare about a month ago,” she admitted reluctantly. “It was incredibly vivid and disturbing, and I haven’t been able to totally shake it from my mind.”

  “What happened in this nightmare?”

  “A woman was murdered while wearing an Elizabethan ball gown very similar to the one I was looking at when I fainted.” She hesitated. Even to her the explanation sounded bizarre. She’d already said too much. “Believe me, I’m as baffled by this as you are, but apparently the whole thing just got to me.”

  “Was the woman in the dream someone you knew?”

  “Not really, except that…” Dani shuddered.

  Marcus stepped closer and reached for her hand. “Go on.”

  Her breath caught, and she did a hard intake of oxygen. “You know how nightmares are. I thought the woman might be me, but I didn’t actually see her face.”

  He squeezed her hand. “No wonder seeing the dress and then getting the note made you nervous.”

  “I still feel foolish for letting the situation get out of hand over a nightmare. I’m sorry for wasting your time tonight, and if you want to leave right now, I’ll not only understand but still pay the full amount I owe you.”

  “And miss the party?” He flashed his devastating smile. “Besides, a deal’s a deal, and it’s not often I get to spend the evening in old England with a beautiful woman.”

  Moonlight, music and the company of Marcus Abbot. If she could put the whole premonition of danger behind her, it just might be the best deal she’d struck in years.

  THE REST OF THE EVENING passed without even a glimmer of trouble, unless you counted Marcus’s total infatuation with Dani Baxter a problem. She got to him on a number of levels, not the least of which was that he hadn’t totally bought her story of why she’d come to him for protection.

  The more he talked to her the more he realized just how levelheaded she was. It was obvious she was a great mother, and she had a responsible job that she was apparently good at.

  All said, it made it difficult to imagine that she’d let a nightmare cause the kind of reaction he’d witnessed this morning. It had been more than just passing out. She’d been two-stepping with terror—at least it had looked that way to him.

  “You two should dance,” Celeste encouraged.

  “I have two left feet, big left feet,” he said, sticking out one of his booted feet to prove his point. “Stomp on dainty toes with these clodhoppers and it could break bones.”

  Actually he wasn’t that bad of a dancer when they were playing a boot-scootin’ number, but the tune the band was dishing out now sounded like a cross between a minuet and a watered-down Hail to the Queen. Still, there were several couples on the floor including the bride and groom.

  Dani eyed his feet. “Those are big enough that I should be able to stay out of the way of them.”

  An invitation from her own gorgeous mouth to take her in his arms. What sane man could turn that down? He stood and put out a hand. Hers fit into his like warm velvet.

  Just as they reached a clear spot for him to make his missteps, the song ended and a new one began. This time it was one of those slow, belly-rubbing numbers that made a man have bedroom thoughts. The dance floor filled up quickly.

  He splayed his fingers across her back and pulled her close. Her body melded against his, and the nearness made it impossible for him to do more than sway to the sensual beat. Finally his equilibrium returned enough that he could move his feet.

  She even smelled good. Admittedly, he had years of being around nothing but sweaty guys in fatigues, so it didn’t take all that much to titillate his senses. At any rate, his senses were reeling now.

  She rested her head on his shoulder as their bodies moved with the music. He’d missed holding a woman more than he’d ever want to admit. He’d never been unfaithful once in his years in the military. He’d thought marriage meant fidelity. And then he’d come home to find he was the only one living in that dream world.

  The song ended much too soon.

  “Do you have any broken bones?” Celeste teased as they rejoined the girls at the table.

  “Au contraire. Marcus is a very good dancer.”<
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  “I had a good partner,” Marcus said. He held Dani’s chair while she slid her adorable behind into it and rearranged her skirt. His gaze slid to the cleavage peeking above the neckline of her blouse. Heat rushed through him like a California forest fire, and he backed away quickly before his body became noticeably hard.

  It was a damn good thing she was going back to Austin tomorrow. As much as he liked being with her, he didn’t want things to get out of hand. He had plans for his life. They didn’t include falling in love and giving a beautiful, successful woman a chance to stamp his heart back into the ground.

  Besides, she was a client. A bodyguard worth his salt never fell for the person he was being paid to protect. Lust, yes. Emotional entanglement, never.

  He reached for a piece of bread from the basket that had been set in the middle of the table while they’d danced. “Looks like food is on the way,” he said.

  “Yeah, and remember that woman we saw this afternoon,” Katie said, “the one who looks like you, Ms. Baxter?”

  “What about her?” Dani asked, her voice suddenly strained.

  “She’s one of the waitresses here tonight.”

  “Is she our waitress?” Marcus asked.

  “She didn’t bring our bread, but she was carrying trays of water around. She’s in costume, too. I think we should get a picture of the two of you together, Ms. Baxter.”

  Dani shifted in her seat and crossed her arms in front of her. “Can we just forget about that woman?”

  “Sure,” Celeste agreed. “But it would make a good picture, and I bet she wouldn’t mind.”

  “How about pointing her out to me when you see her again?” Marcus said. He reached for the digital camera resting at Celeste’s elbow. “In the meantime, how about I take a snapshot of the three of you?”

  The girls huddled on either side of Dani for the photo op. Dani’s smile was forced.

  He wondered if there were more to this look-alike waitress situation than Dani was letting on, or was she just bothered that the man who sent the warning note might have them confused? The possibility of that worried him as well.

  Beware of the dark knight.

  The next time they danced, he’d have more than their swaying bodies on his mind.

  DANI ABSENTLY CIRCLED HER spoon in the steaming bowl of soup a jester waiter had placed in front of her. A huge chunk of beef floated in the thick broth surrounded by onions and potatoes. This was the exact type of appetizer that would have been served to the king in merry old England, the jester had explained to the tinkling accompaniment of the bells dangling from his colorful hat.

  She scanned the semicircle of tables until she spotted her near double pouring wine at a table a few yards away. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The woman was wearing the same green gown that had initiated Dani’s morning fainting spell.

  Her fingers slipped from the spoon, and the handle clinked against the edge of the crockery bowl. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

  Marcus jumped up, standing at the same time she did. “I’ll go with you.”

  “No.” She’d spoken too sharply. “I’m just going to say hello to a friend I’ve spotted a few tables away. You eat your soup while it’s hot,” she said, trying for a lighter tone. She walked away before he could argue the point.

  Of course, he’d watch and know she’d gone to talk to the waitress, but she couldn’t worry about that now. Things were finally falling into place. She knew what she had to do.

  The waitress looked up as Dani approached, and when their gazes locked, Dani had that same intense sense of déjà vu she’d had this afternoon. Only this time it came with a numbing sensation of impending doom.

  “I need to talk to you a moment,” Dani said.

  The woman backed away from her. “I can’t stop now, but I’ll get another waiter to assist you.”

  “It’s personal. And urgent,” Dani added quickly, when the woman looked ready to flee.

  “I can’t talk. I have to go back for more wine.”

  “This will only take a second,” Dani insisted.

  “Look, if this is about this afternoon, I’m sorry I bumped into you. I should have been looking where I was going.”

  “I didn’t come for an apology.”

  “So what else? Are you looking to sue me for a bruised hip?”

  Dani was tempted to leave. Her conscience and years of dealing with the paranormal wouldn’t let her. “I’m not interested in suing, but my daughter and her friend commented on how much we resemble each other.”

  “If this is some kind of scheme or joke you want to play on someone, I’m not interested.”

  The woman was incredibly distrustful and blunt. She might very well have lots of enemies. “Someone handed me this note this afternoon,” Dani explained, handing it to her. “I think it might have been intended for you.”

  The woman studied the scrawled writing for less than a second. Her body stiffened. “Who gave you this?”

  “A teenage boy, but he said a man had given it to him and asked him to hand it to me. I think I may have seen the man this morning hanging around a shop where I was looking at a dress almost exactly like the one you’re wearing now.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Tall, lean, dark brown hair, neatly dressed. About fifty years old, I’d guess.”

  The waitress returned the note to Dani. “I really need to get back to work.”

  “Okay,” Dani said. “I just thought that you might be in danger, and I wanted to warn you.”

  “Well, you’ve done it. If I see any dark, dangerous knights, I’ll run the other way.” She dismissed Dani and her concerns with a wave of her hand and stalked off.

  Her pretense of nonchalance disintegrated in the hurried disposal of the wine bottle into the hands of another waitress. Once her hands were free, she scanned the area nervously and walked at a near jog toward the back of the grounds.

  Dani rushed after her. She was clearly upset by the note, and if she was in danger then she should talk to Marcus.

  Dani tripped on her long skirt as the woman rounded one of the small buildings. “Wait,” she called. “I know someone who can help.”

  The woman started running. So did Dani. Someone stepped from the shadows. That’s when Dani saw the raised blade of the dagger poised to strike.

  Chapter Five

  Marcus hadn’t taken his eyes off Dani for a second while she conversed with the waitress. The instant Dani chased after her, he flew into action.

  He accidentally sent a waiter’s tray of hot soup crashing to the ground. Everyone else cleared out of his way. He had no idea what the footrace was all about, but panic kicked in when Dani rounded the side of a timbered building and disappeared from sight.

  A bloodcurdling scream cut through the night. His body went rigid, and then something inside him snapped, releasing a burst of adrenaline that shot through every cell of his body. His reactions shifted to automatic. He pulled his weapon without slowing down.

  A split-second later, he spotted Dani’s moonlit silhouette, on her knees, bent over a woman sprawled in the dirt. Ever alert, he rushed to her.

  “She needs an ambulance,” Dani said, her voice amazingly calm. “A man stepped out from the shadows and stabbed her. I saw the whole thing.”

  He checked the victim’s pulse, but his thoughts centered around Dani. “Are you okay?”

  “Except for getting shoved to the ground while the man escaped.”

  The injured woman’s eyes slit open. Her pulse was low, but the bigger concern was the bleeding. “Call 911,” Marcus said, handing Dani his phone. “Tell them it’s urgent.”

  He pulled off his light jacket, draped it over the injured waitress and started administering first aid to prevent shock and slow the loss of blood.

  Crowds huddled around them. Two security guards tried to keep them back once they realized Marcus knew what he was doing. Their efforts had little effect on the curious and fearful bystanders.
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  Dani told the security guards that she’d seen the man with the dagger. She’d jumped on his back and tried to stop him. He’d thrown her off and plunged the dagger into the woman’s chest.

  “Did you see where he went after that?”

  “Behind that building.”

  One of the guards called for more help. “Why were you and the woman out here in the dark?” the other security guard asked.

  Exactly what Marcus was wondering. Why hire a bodyguard and then rush into danger on her own?

  “I needed to talk to her,” Dani said.

  “Behind a building?”

  “She was running away from me. I followed her.” Her voice showed signs of frustration and delayed panic.

  “She’ll talk to the police when they arrive,” Marcus said. “You guys need to get this crowd dispersed so the ambulance can get to the victim.”

  “Mom!”

  Dani shuddered and stood. “Over here, sweetheart.”

  The crowd parted enough to let Celeste through, followed by Katie and the bride-to-be. Dani took Celeste in her arms, assuring all of them she was okay. She sounded more shaken with every word that came out of her mouth.

  Two of the serving crew showed up and identified the victim as Ella Somerville. They said she managed one of the festival’s dress shops. Marcus noted that her bloodstained dress looked a lot like the one Dani had been looking at when she’d passed out. He was certain Dani would have noticed that, as well.

  Finally, the ambulance arrived, and Marcus surrendered his medical duties to them. The victim was still unconscious as they loaded her onto the stretcher and drove away, sirens blaring.

  With luck, she’d survive this and hopefully be able to shed some light on her attacker.

  Beware the dark knight.

  “The cops are here!” someone shouted.

  Marcus looked up to see two uniformed officers striding toward them, both looking grim. He was certain they’d give Dani the third degree. He’d see that they didn’t intimidate her.

  He didn’t know exactly what had transpired at this point, but he was damn certain of one thing. Someone had tried to commit murder, and even if she hadn’t been before, Dani was involved now.